Last Updated on March 31, 2017 by Mathew Diekhake

One of our favorite custom ROMs — the Paranoid Android series for numerous devices — is now out for the Google Nexus 10. More specifically, this is installing the Paranoid Android Alpha 1 Android 5.0 Lollipop custom ROM. Android 6.0 Marshmallow is now out for some Google devices, but only a couple. The Android KitKat software update is still installed on more devices than the Lollipop. That’s not to say people like KitKat over Lollipop, but rather just how far behind in time we are. That’s why you can install this Android 5.0 Lollipop custom ROM on the Google Nexus 10 with confidence.

Related Reading: The 10 Best Custom ROMs For The Google Nexus 10

Paranoid Android

The Files You Need

  1. Download the PA 5.0 Alpha 1 ROM from here.
  2. Download the Google Gapps from here.
  3. Optional: learn about the paranoid Android Alpha 1 update.
  4. You are applying a hard reset during the guide. By applying a hard reset you are wiping the data on the device. Unless you backup with a NANDroid backup, Titanium backup or any other backing up option, you cannot expect to restore that data later.

Updating the Google Nexus 10 with the Android 5.0 Lollipop Paranoid Android Alpha 1 custom ROM

  1. Download the Google Apps and the PA 5.0 ROM files and move them over to the desktop of your computer. Do not unzip either of the files.
  2. Connect the Nexus 10 tablet to the computer with the USB cable.
  3. Transfer both files with to the internal storage SD card. Make sure it’s the topmost folder on that SD card and not one of the sub folder or else you won’t find it later. We call this the root of the SD card.
  4. Reboot the Google Nexus 10 into recovery mode.
  5. Choose to take a backup from the main recovery menu. That’s the NANDroid option and will make a complete snapshot copy of your ROM, including saved game data.
  6. Now choose the option to factory reset your device. The wording differs slightly depending on your custom recovery. However, all should start with the word “wipe”.
  7. Choose the option to install the PA 5.0 Alpha 1 custom ROM from the recovery menu.
  8. Browse the SD card for the custom ROM and confirm you wish to install that ROM.
  9. Double back to the main recovery menu and do the same thing again, only this time getting the Google Gapps. Confirm you want to install those also.
  10. Go back to the main recovery menu and select the “Reboot System’ option.
  11. Now the Google Nexus 10 will reboot in the normal mode and you have the custom ROM along with the Google stock apps on your device.